You Can Avoid Advertising. More than two-thirds of the profitable small businesses in the U.S. operate without advertising. Concentrate on creating a high-quality business that customers, employees, and other businesspeople will trust, respect, and recommend.  Use social media to get customers to spread the word and to comment positively on your business.

Drive Customers by Need, Price, and Access.

• Need. When you’re considering how to market or which tools to use, try to determine why customers need your products or services instead of your competitors’.
• Price. In some cases, customers base purchasing decisions primarily on price; in others, people place perceived value over price. Figure out which rule applies for your crafts and price accordingly.
• Access. If cost and quality are equal, customers usually patronize the business that’s easiest to access. Whether on the web or on the street, what matters is whether customers can find your business and patronize it once they locate it.

Marketing Is a Sensory Experience. Marketing is often based on sensory experience—how your business looks, how it smells, and the sense of order that it instills. As coffee shops and bakeries know, there’s a strong sensory appeal to the smell of their wares. Don’t underestimate the marketing importance of cleanliness and a sense of order (a clutter-free environment); customers often equate these qualities with competence and success.

Yes, the Customer Is (Almost) Always Right. Did you know that 80% of complaining customers are unhappier after they complain? Since your customers are your best marketing team, it’s crazy to lose them through poor service. One of the least expensive, most effective marketing techniques is to adopt customer-friendly policies and to hire and train employees who can carry out these policies.

Measure Results. In the marketing world, “accountability” is the term used to describe whether or not a marketing tool is working. The best way to measure results is to provide a special offer tied to the marketing effort. Whether it is television, radio, print, or direct mail, try to provide an offer that’s unique to that promotion. That makes it much easier to track effectiveness.